bar tailed godwit

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We do get to see some of these at local nature reserves digging around in the mud for food. Another lovely painting.

Thanks Paul Hopkinson for the compliment and info ...

PAKHI DEKHUN PAKHI CHINUN # 406 (Observe the Bird and recognize)..BAR TAILED GODWIT ...[From a Photograph of MR. CHINMAY RAHANE] ... WATERCOLOUR ...A4...2014... The bar-tailed godwit (Limosa lapponica) is a large wader in the family Scolopacidae, which breeds on Arctic coasts and tundra mainly in the Old World, and winters on coasts in temperate and tropical regions of the Old World and of Autralia and New Zealand. Its migration is the longest known non-stop flight of any bird and also the longest journey without pausing to feed by any animal. The bar-tailed godwit is a relatively short-legged species of godwit. The bill-to-tail length is 37–41 cm (15–16 in), with a wingspan of 70–80 cm (28–31 in). Males average smaller than females but with much overlap; males weigh 190–400 g, while females weigh 260–630 g; there is also some regional variation in size (see subspecies, below). The adult has blue-grey legs and a very long dark bill with a slight upward curve and pink at the tip. The neck, breast and belly are unbroken brick red in breeding plumage, off white in winter. The back is mottled grey. It forages by probing in mudflats or marshes. It may find insects by sight in short vegetation. It eats mainly insects and crustaceans, but also parts of aquatic plants.[INFO: WIKIPEDIA]